Hello everyone, let me try and organize my life here... Can you see me? Why is it so dark? Okay, there we go. Hi hello welcome to the east coast now. I was just in California for about 10 days, I think, and if you are a My Chemical Romance fan, my friends and I went to a bunch of shows - well only two but it felt like a lifetime, and if you want to see that, I'll post that on my main channel, which is Cari Cakes, I'll link it down below. But I made it last night - we are in Pennsylvania. It is, I mean, autumn paradise.

I have some work I need to catch up on and it ties into this video because first things first, I need to post some things regarding - we're doing another group trip! We are going to Japan in April which is already filled but I really wanted to go to Iceland and we finally organized that trip and it's going to work out and it's going to be in August so I have to do some work to set that up. We're going to be announcing it in a couple of days, so by the time this is up, it's probably already out but I'll link that down below as well. But what I want to talk to you about is we're going on a Japan trip and I haven't been to Japan since the very beginning of covid means I haven't practiced my Japanese in a really long time so I have been trying my best to get back to that level - I had like survival level Japanese. I studied it for a few years and I could like hold my own when I went to Japan but no longer.

So I want to give a shout out to the sponsor of this video which is Rosetta Stone. I have talked about it on my main channel before, but I've literally used Rosetta Stone for like 10 years, back when they used to... you could buy the giant thing of CDs. Back then you had to choose what language you wanted to study but now they have this thing where you can get the lifetime membership and you can switch languages. You have access to every language that they offer. They offer everything from like Arabic to I think they even have like Swedish and Irish? They have Korean, I use it for Japanese, I used it for French and Italian when I was trying to figure my life out for that Europe trip, but Rosetta Stone has been a game-changer for me.

I've been able to learn so many languages with the help of Rosetta Stone, and their app is so convenient. You can use it anywhere, anytime, as long as you have your phone or computer with internet access. I love how they make learning a new language fun and engaging. They have interactive lessons, quizzes, and exercises that make you feel like you're really speaking the language. And the best part? It's so affordable! You can try it out for free and then subscribe to their service at any time.

In conclusion, I just want to say thank you to Rosetta Stone for being such a great tool in my language learning journey. If you're interested in learning a new language or brushing up on one that you already know, I highly recommend giving them a try. They have so many resources available, and their team is always there to support you.

Now, let's talk about some of the books I've been reading lately. First off, I want to share with you my thoughts on "Bliss Montage" by Ling Ma. I purchased this book because I trust you guys that much, and I'm so glad I did! The cover is phenomenal, but the stories inside are what really caught my attention. It's a collection of short stories that are almost touching on like magical realism, and I just couldn't put it down. The stories are vaguely connected to each other, and I loved how they all felt like they were woven together into this beautiful tapestry.

One of the things I love about "Bliss Montage" is its contemporary, surreal feel. It's not your typical romance or sci-fi novel - it's something entirely different that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The writing is incredible, and Ling Ma has a way with words that will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even question reality itself. I'm currently on page 63 out of 107, and I can already say that this book is one of my favorites of the year.

I also want to mention "Belladonna" by Adalyn Grace, which was another book that some of you guys have been asking me to read for ages. And finally, today I'm going to start reading it! I've heard so many great things about this book from all of you, and I'm excited to dive in and see what it's like. It promises to be a beautiful story set in the 19th century, full of romance and drama.

I have to admit that some days are just perfect for curling up with a good book - today is one of those days. The rain is pouring down outside, and I'm feeling cozy and tired. All I want to do is snuggle up under a blanket and get lost in the world of words. And what better way to spend this gloomy day than reading about a beautiful young woman who falls in love with a mysterious and brooding stranger?

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHello everyone. Let me try and organize my life here...Can you see me? Why is it so dark? Okay therewe go. Hi hello welcome to the east coast now. I was just in California for about 10 days I think  and if you are a My Chemical Romance fan, my friends and I went to a bunch of shows -  well only only two but it felt like a lifetime - and if you want to see that  I'll post that on my main channel which is cari cakes, I'll link it down  below. But I made it last night - we are in Pennsylvania. It is, I mean, autumn paradise.I have some work I need to catch up on and it ties into this video because first things  first, I need to post some things regarding - we're doing another group trip! We are going to  Japan in April which is already filled but I really wanted to go to Iceland and we finally  organized that trip and it's going to work out and it's going to be in August so I have to do  some work to set that up. We're going to be announcing it in a couple days so by the  time this is up it's probably already out but I'll link that down below as well. But what  I want to talk to you about is we're going on a Japan trip and I haven't been to Japan since  the very beginning of covid means I haven't practiced my Japanese in a really long time  so I have been trying my best to get back to that level - I had like survival level Japanese.  I studied it for a few years and I could like hold my own when I went to Japan but no longer. So I do want to give a shout out to the sponsor of this video which is Rosetta Stone.  I have talked about it on my main channel before but I've literally used Rosetta Stone for like  10 years, back when they used to...you could buy the giant thing of CDs. Back then you had to choosewhat language you wanted to study but now they have this thing where you can get the lifetime  membership and you can switch languages. You have access to every language that they offer. They  offer everything from like Arabic to I think they even have like Swedish and Irish? They have Korean,  I use it for Japanese, I used it for French and Italian when I was trying to figure my life out  for that Europe trip. You can use it on all different devices. I have it on my phone. You can do iton your desktop, you can just go to rosettastone.com.It's really wonderful and especially if you justare interested in languages and maybe 10 years from now you want to start learning Farsi  -you can do that! But they do also have a monthly plan if you just want to kind of try it out but  right now the lifetime offer is $179 versus the usual $299 so definitely click that link down below.  On my phone I'm still logged into Italian because that's what I was studying - oh it's completed  damn. See I'm telling you I studied guys! Let me do greetings and introductions. They also  have a pronunciation guide now which is cool. They can - you can talk to it.is a man and a dog.See? I can speak Italian, it just took a couple minutes.So again the discount on the lifetime subscriptionwill be down in the description box thank you Rosetta Stone for sponsoringthis video if you're interested in traveling to Japan or Iceland, you can also check links  down below and maybe study some Japanese with me. I'm gonna do that and then - where's my  oh okay - on the airplane, just a reading update,  on the airplane I read - I haven't finished it  yet, I'm almost done with Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, and I read Severance right before the pandemic or  something and I really loved it but I would say I might feel a little differently now because it  is kind of about - well it is about like a pandemic - but I thought that their writing was incredible  so when I saw Bliss Montage...first of all cover is phenomenal but this is a collection of short  stories and I like everything - I was like cover, short stories, Ling Ma, yes please. It's  all very almost,, almost touching on like magical realism. The stories are vaguely connected to  each other, I really loved them, like I said I've - it's a hundred pages, I think I'm on 63 out of  107. Really enjoying it so if you're looking for some kind of contemporary, a little surreal  short stories, if you've wanted to read Ling Ma and you're scared of Severance right now,  Bliss Montage, really good. I think I want to get a physical copy because it's  just one that I want to underline. I don't really annotate my books but I just kind of highlight  lines that kind of stick with me and this is a book that I would I would want to do that with so  highly recommend. But what I'm going to be reading today with you and me is a book that  I purchased because I trust you guys that much. The amount of comments I have gotten to read  Belladonna by Adalyn Grace - this one.You guys have been on me for so long and I've seen this all overthe place so I am going to start it so I will start that today. It's a very, it's gonna clear up  and actually be beautiful while I'm out here but today is just a kind of gloomy rainy day and I'm  -I fell asleep with wet hair and I'm very tired so I'm feeling just like I want to  rest, feeling almost like a little cold so today is going to be a cozy reading day and  \"It started with the cry of a baby. Swaddled in a crimson gown bold as blood, Signa Ferra  was the most striking two-month-old of the party and her mother intended toprove it.So I will start that and...is that it? Yeah I'm in my mom's library which is really beautiful and  I'm gonna - this is my Grammy's chair, we inherited it and it is very comfortable so I  think this might be my reading chair while I'm here. All right I'm going to finish my  little tasks, finish Bliss Montage, we might go to Trader Joe's and I'm gonna read. So this  is gonna be a day, a day, it's gonna be a day okay? So I'll show you around this little  room and then see ya okay? I've had this in my room since I was a baby and I love it so muchThat's my next read.  They're just looking at Louie like what the hell?Are they your friends now? What's going on Louie?Hi we're gonna try and have this chat before the rain comes - the sky is black.  I am only on chapter like four of Belladonna and that is simply because I  fell asleep. Not because of the book but because of travel, I was really tired. Without any spoilers  so far what is going on is we follow a girl named Signa who, when she for whatever reason there  was like a poisoning that occurred at this big party and everybody died and then death came to  collect everybody and he went to touch her soul and he instead of seeing her past which  is what he's supposed to see, he sees her future and he's like but she doesn't have a future??? So he  leaves her and then we fast forward (that was the prologue) and then we fast forward and she is now  19 being passed kind of from family member to family member and all of them have had these  horrible accidents and they just keep dying and she cannot die - she poisons herself,  she tries all these different things, and some of them were accidents but then she starts trying  on purpose because Death comes to collect every time she's close to death and then he's like girl  stop doing this, I don't want to hang out with you! And so our adventure has just kind of started, I  think that was kind of just setting the scene and so now she has been taken to Thorne Grove.  It is where her cousin lived with her husband and her son and daughter I guess but she died and the  daughter is also sick and she gets picked up by this moody mysterious stable boy named Sylas and  I don't know, I appreciate the vibes right now it takes place in Autumn she's also very  sheltered so like all of her like the ways that she thinks she's supposed to behave comes from  like this antiquated book on like \"how to be a lady\" and all this stuff um so, like I said, the  action has literally just started but I appreciate a creepy, a creepy house in autumn - like it's a big  mansion thing, a mysterious moody boy and Death that she can communicate with. So overall great  and also just like am I not in the best setting for it? It is so gloomy, look at the sky out there.  I'm going to keep reading okay so thank you to all those who recommended it,  I'm only it's 400 pages, I'm on page...I'm only on page 58, I'm only 15% of the way through, I'm  on chapter seven actually my bad - that is when the action has started so catch up later!Greetings okay I finished Belladonna late last night. I caught a cold, I've tested multiple times  it's not covid but if I sound a little strained, that's why. What are my thoughts? Okay so I will say  that I read this in a way that I normally don't read these kinds of books - there are airplanes I  can't...this is the ambiance you're getting for this video. Why are you flying so low?  Just because I'm traveling and my sleep schedule is funny, I ended up - usually I like to read books  like this, that are in the like 400 page range, I try to read them in like two sittings like  maybe I'll read a little bit during the day and then I'll just like bust it out and finish it that  same night. But this one I actually broke it up and I read it kind of in like three or four different  sittings and so the book felt a little, I don't know, I felt like it didn't pull me in as much as I  thought it would but that also could simply be the fact that I'm just like traveling in a different  state of mind than I usually am so I'm not going to knock the book for that. I did think, you are  very correct in that the setting is perfect for autumn. The way that it's described - the book  kind of starts in autumn and then we kind of reach our major climax in winter, in like December. Yeah I  thought that the descriptions of things - like again it's like this creepy manor, you're trying to  solve this maybe murder mystery, there are ghosts, Death is like personified whatever. I very much  appreciated the vibes. The only things that I didn't really like is that I felt like I didn't  actually get to know a lot of the characters. I thought that the dialogue was a little  uh, not the best? I don't know how to explain it, I felt like she described the settings really well  but when it came to the actual like character work I didn't actually feel super connected to them.  I thought it was really strange how there is one particular character that has been wronged  and we're like - spoiler - trying to solve her murder and she is actually initially shown  to us as like an evil, not evil but like a very angry spirit. And like I get that because she was  she's angry right like she maybe got murdered but it just felt weird that like a person  we're supposed to sympathize with so much is like terrorizing our main character? I will say there  were a lot of twists in this book but I didn't see maybe two of them. I like thought one and then  I thought no that can't be true but it ended up being true so she got me with like a little bit  of the plot. I definitely figured out another bit of it really early but overall I feel like  I was feeling meh about the book, like I thought it was fine as like a young adult autumn-esque  fantasy creepy house thing okay? Like it was fine but I will say the way that part of it ended...  Oh I was supposed to look this up before I started talking to you...This is gonna be  a series. I forget, I think the second one is already out or it's gonna be out hopefully  soon I think it's called Foxglove...Editing Cari here. It comes out August 23rd 2023...The way that it ended made me really excited for the sequel. If it had ended differently I think  I would have not continued the series because it, like I said, I just didn't connect with any of the  characters, but the way that part of it ended I'm so intrigued about how something's gonna work out...I'm definitely gonna read the second one - the ending really saved  the series for me I think. I do though have an issue and I wonder if we're going to talk about  it more of like how she has to make a certain decision and the way that she chooses it - she  actually does it a couple times in the book - I hope that they like kind of delve into that  deeper. I don't know like I'll put it down in the comments, I'll put a spoiler, I'll pin it but  let me know your thoughts if you've read this - just check the comments, big spoiler warning there.  And and then just like my only other qualm with it is that other characters kept talking about how  our main girl, whose name is Signa, how she's such a firecracker and she's so like doesn't follow  the rules and she's so wild and she's so amazing. Her actual actions throughout the book, she's like  obsessed with trying to follow this rule book. She messes up but like she really tries, I feel like  she's really subdued. It's only kind of near the end when she really comes into her own and like is  the firecracker that they all seem to see that she is already. I just thought that was a little  annoying when it's like you have a girl that's acting like every other girl in the book but  for some reason because she's the main character everyone's like oh my god you're so unique and  it's like but she's really not actually... So that was like another issue I had but like I  said I think that the way that - I almost feel like this is a really good prequel for the series to  actually start. That's what I'm hoping it's gonna be. I'm, I am really excited for Foxglove. Anyway  that is what is going on. I also went into the city yesterday, I went bookstore hopping. Didn't buy  anything because I have no room in my luggage but  if you want to check my Instagram, I put up  a list of books that I took photos of so that I could put them on hold at the library later  and also I posted my Iceland trip and it sold out so that's exciting, so next year we're gonna  go to Japan, we're gonna go to Iceland. Of course I'm gonna vlog it for everybody. So stoked and  that leads me to thanking Rosetta Stone who is going to help us not get lost in Japan.  If you want to check the description box, there is a link down below - there is a special  price going on for the lifetime subscription which I highly recommend. You can switch between all of  the languages that they offer, it is wonderful, so thank you so much to Rosetta Stone for sponsoring  this. I will catch you guys later. I am filming a east coast vlog on my main channel so if you're  interested in that - have I been in focus at all this this whole time? There are deer behind me,  it's a very exciting, very exciting backyard - but so anyway Belladonna, that, those are my thoughts.Sort of a meh first book in a series. I really think that this should be maybe called a prequel. So yeah, very excited for Foxglove. I am going to go in the house immediately and figure out  when it's coming out and I will read it as soon as I can so yes! We are also almost entering  Bloodmarked season so I'm gonna have to reread Legendbornbecause I forget everything other than thefact that I loved it. Yeah so many, so many great books still on the horizon. I'm so excited. So thank  you for recommending Belladonna. Spoilers down below, I have thoughts for you and thanks again to  Rosetta Stone so I will see you guys later - it is very cold outside so I'm going in and thank you  for dealing with the noise but that's nature for you so okay, I will see you guys later bye!\n"